Real Estate Referral Marketing: 3 Steps to Thanking a Referral

“Thanks for the referral,” the contractor says to you. Then you never hear from him again about that basement remodelling job you sent his way.

Will you feel a little put out? Well, you might. Even though he did say thank you, the gesture may not be enough to make you feel truly appreciated… appreciated enough to send him more referrals in the future.

“If you don’t thank them properly, it may be the last referral you get.”

Exactly the same thing can happen when past clients or business-to-business referral sources recommend you. If you don’t thank them properly, it may be the last referral you get. Your real estate referral marketing will reach a dead end.

There are 3 basic steps to the referral thanking process.

Step 1:

Thank the referral source with a personal phone call, handwritten note or thank you card. You might even want to include a small gift, such as a Gift Certificate or Movie Pass.

Step 2:

Keep the referral source informed. Tell them what’s happening in the transaction with the person they sent your way.

Obviously, you can’t provide confidential client information. But you can say something like, “I met with your friend Brenda, last week. She’s considering her options now. I’m hoping we’ll be able to work together because I’m confident I can find her the home she wants.”

Step 3:

Once the transaction is complete, say thank you again — but in a more significant way. Consider sending a gift that reflects the value of the transaction from the client referred to you. Give some thought to this gift; you want to make a lasting impression.

But never give cash. That sends the wrong message.

Takeaway point: You work hard to be “referral worthy”. But if you’re not thanking your referral sources in the right ways, you won’t get as many recommendations as you would otherwise. Your real estate referral marketing efforts will go unrewarded. So use this three step process to ensure that you do.